Ausculta-phone.



L. A. TOWNSEND.

AUSGULTAPHONE. APPLIOATION FILED my 12,1901.

899,81 5, Patented Sept. 29, 1908 LOUIS A. TOWNSEND, OF FORT DODGE, IOWA.

AUSCU'L'IA- PHONE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Application filed May 13, 1907. Serial No. 373,459.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, LoUIs A. TOWNSEND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Dodge, in the county of \Vebster and 1 State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Ausculta-Phone, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my improvements are: First; to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive instrument, to reproduce and mag nify the exact sounds of the circulatory and respiratory organs 'of the human body. Second; to prevent all sounds and tremors of the hand, from conflicting with the sounds coming through the receiver. Third; to make the instrument light in weight, making it convenient to carry and handle.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the complete device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 shows a side view of the casing illustrating the side to which the ear tubes are connected.

Letters designate the different parts throughout the views.

The metal case, consists of two pieces, (A) and (B), and is made of aluminum of about one-sixteenth (1/16) of an inch in thickness, thus insuring a lightness in weight to the instrument. To the case (A) is firmly secured the hard rubber back piece by three screws (F F F), thus forming a support for the diaphragm The diaphragm is stamped from ferrotype metal the thickness being from .009 to .011 inches, and is a very high grade of soft sheet iron. The diaphragm is cemented at the outer edge to the rim of the hard rubber back piece thus leaving an air space or sounding space of one-sixteenth (1/16) of an inch between the two parts.

To make the two parts that are cemented together air tight, a flat rubber band, (D three-fourths (3/4) of an inch wide is placed around and overlapping the edge of both. To the center of the diaphragm (D) is secured the hollow brass support with center screw (C), which protrudes through a hole in the aluminunr case (B), but does not touch and which is the only support and means of holding in position the hard rubber bell-shaped piece (R), called the receiver, which conveys the vibrations to the diaphragm. By'this arrangement of the parts described, the smallest sounds or vibrations, coming through the receiver are largely magnified.

In assembling the device the case (B) is placed in position on the case and secured by the screws (H H H) there being a complete air space around the part (C), (D), (F), excepting a small portion of the part (E) which touches only adjacent to the screws (F F F), on the case (A). Such an arrangement of air spaces, between the parts mentioned prevents the tremors of the hand from interfering with the other sounds. Into the two holes in the back of case (A) are inserted the two metal plugs (K) and (K) which connect the ordinary rubber tubes to the ear pieces, such as are used on all such instruments. By having a back piece E within the casing and an air space between almost the entire face of the back piece and the adjacent face of the diaphragm, the slight vibrations imparted to the receiver will impart greatly increased vibrations to the air contained on the opposite side of the diaphragm within the back piece and hollow chamber so that the sound will be transmitted through the rubber tubes extending to the earpieces and the operator will be enabled to hear all of the sounds within the circulatory and respiratory organs. The casing, as before explained, is made of thin light metal and on account of the shape of the back piece and the air space between it and the air space of the casing all vibrations of the operators hand, that is holding the casing, will be taken up by the air in the chambers between the part (A) of the case and the adjacent portions of the back piece, and it will not be transmitted through the center of the back piece.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, a back piece within the casing having a central opening forming an air space, the body of said back piece being spaced apart from the adjacent side of the casing, ear tubes communicating with the said air space, a diaphragm connected to the back piece and spaced apart from the body portion thereof and a receiver connected to the diaphragm and projecting out through the casing.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, a back piece within the casing having a central opening forming an air space, the body of said back piece being spaced apart from the adjacent side of the casing, ear tubes con'nnunicating with the said air space, a diaphragm connected to the back piece and spaced apart from the body portion thereof and a receiver connected to the diaphragm and projecting out through the casing, said receiver being detachable from the diaphragm.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, a back piece within the casing vformed with a central opening and also formed with a rim surroundin said opening, which rim is engaged by the adj acent side of the casing, said back piece being spaced apart from the casing at all points except at said rim, a diaphragm fixed to the side of the back piece opposite from said rim and spaced apart from it, a receiver connected with the diaphragm and projecting through the casing and ear tubes communicating with the opening at the central portion of the back piece.

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, a back piece having a central air space, means for holding the back piece in position in the casing, ear tubes connected with the casing and communicating with the central opening, said back piece having on the opposite side a rim near the periphery thereof, a diaphragm resting against said rim with an air space between the diaphragm and the body of the back piece, a flexible rubber band passed around the periphery of both the back piece and the diaphragm and a receiver connected with the diaphragm and extending through the side of the casing opposite the ear tubes.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a thin metal casing member, a second casing member comprising a disk shaped portion with a flange thereon to engage one side of the first mentioned casing portion, screws passed through the periphery of said flange and into the first mentioned casing portion, a back piece comprising a disk shaped body having a central opening and an annular rim on one side surrounding said central opening, screws passed through the first mentioned casing portion and into said rim, said back piece having a rim opposite the first annular rim and near its periphery, a diaphragm resting against said annular rim, means for sealing it to the annular rim and a receiver detachably connected with the diaphragm and pro jecting outwardly through the casing, said parts so arranged that an air tight chamber is formed 011 the side of the diaphragm adjacent to the back piece, which chamber communicates with the air tubes, and another air chamber is formed 011 the opposite side of the back piece, which extends all around the back piece and diaphragm except where the back piece is attached to the casing, said latter chamber being so arranged that it does not communicate at any point with the first mentioned chamber.

LOUIS A. TOVNSEND. itnesses FERNANDO XV. FUERMANN, CHARLES E. DEMOREST. 

